Roblox UGC should NOT be public to everyone

By Dylan Rafferty

May 29, 2024

Public User Generated Content (UGC) is ruining Roblox. Sure, it can provide an outlet and creative opportunity to those who desire, but it is taken advantage of by people with malicious intent.

User generated content (UGC) is what makes Roblox, Roblox. Roblox is a platform where users test their creativity, by creating experiences for other people to play and avatar items to wear. I started playing Roblox in 2017, and still play to this day.

“Marketplace” is an on-platform store on Roblox which is supplied by UGC, generating creativity and originality. Currently as of mid April 2024, everyone who is ID verified on Roblox, and has a membership of $10 / month can upload UGC, which I believe is just Roblox asking for people to break their Terms of Service.

For example, an issue Roblox is experiencing due to public UGC is fake limited items. Limited items, also called limiteds, act as a stock market on Roblox to make Robux important. Robux is Robloxs’ currency, and is desired by most to all players. With public UGC, malicious users have been targeting vulnerable players by uploading fake items and scamming players. The player thinks it is the real limited item, and buys it, losing their digital currency.

I conducted a survey, and sent it to people that I knew played Roblox at Colonie Central High School who are juniors and seniors. Out of the 15 people who replied, 33.3% of repliers stated that they do play Roblox. Which subjects them to being potential victims to newfound scams, and other concerns.

This can be frustrating among young children's parents, as well as children themselves for the financial inconvenience.

Fellow Colonie student and frequent Roblox player Jovana Brown agrees, and thinks that public UGC was the worst decision Roblox has ever made. She expresses her concern by explaining how public UGC is ruining kids' innocence.

“I opened up the Marketplace, and I saw genitals and nudity on items,” says Brown.

This shows the poor moderation that Roblox has, with its billions of dollars it makes every year. But if UGC was how it used to be and not public, none of this would have happened.

Hate speech such as racism, homophobia, and transphobia which violate Robloxs’ Terms of Service have been seen by another Colonie student, Sarah Nasiri.

“I was in Royale High, and someone's shirt had the gay pride flag with a red x over it, and my cousin is gay so I really felt for him,” says Nasiri.

Nasiri then expressed her concern for other community members.

“I am concerned for Roblox members that are actually gay or fall under a potential discriminatory category,” says Nasiri.’

I agree with Nasiri, and think that public UGC allows more groups of people to be vulnerable to discrimination and hate speech. 

Because of poor moderation, if users with malicious intent decide to upload UGC that includes people's personal information, it would cause a new concern of privacy risks in the Marketplace. This could be a huge threat for Roblox, leading to lawsuits and if it is bad enough, potentially having to close doors.

Users may intentionally or unintentionally steal already made or very similar models from other websites or on Roblox itself. This would raise a new concern of intellectual property violations. This would require Robloxs’ staff team to work harder, because of new concerns arising from the new public UGC.

This could all impact the mental health of the younger audience, raising mental health concerns. If a child is exposed to inappropriate content, has personal information exposed, or falls victim to a scam, they may feel a sense of betrayal, and feel stress and anxiety.